The kids were sprawled out all over the ground underneath our tent.  Hands and feet stretched to lay over faces and torsos whilst tranquil snoozing filled the air.  The rest of Trash had a similar quietness to it after the rain became a light drizzle, and the icy winds from before reduced themselves to a faint breeze; though the night is very much still frigid.  And tonight of all nights, the smog had cleared early revealing the thousand stars dotted across the night sky.

It’s truly a picturesque scene, yet I was feeling restless despite the ease of the night as thoughts of tomorrow filled my head.  I can close my eyes and feel the restlessness in my feet that can’t keep themselves still; tonight, they needed to run.  With a light foot, I stepped between arms that bent to make triangles, careful not to trip inside the narrow holes they formed as one arm laid over another and another, until the many limbs of children came together into a messy mesh.  Their legs twisted and turned in their sleep, even hitting my own a few times as I weaved through the sleeping kids all the way to the edges of the tent.

“I-is your…”

“!”  A noiseless yelp escaped me upon hearing an abrupt murmur of a girl’s voice, “Mei?  Was that you?”  I turned to see Mei in the same spot as she always is, looking concerned, “Ha~, you nearly gave me a heart attack.”

“S-so-... sorry…”  She covered her mouth with her hand as her head leaned backwards, “Is-is your neck… okay, Mackie?”

“My neck?”

“It was… red ear-ear…”  I felt my neck.  Thankfully, it didn’t sting nearly as much as it did earlier.

“Oh, it’s fine now.  Thanks for asking.”  We looked at each other for a moment but she didn’t utter another word, and with an awkward twitch I began my trudge through the children once again, eventually making it outside of their circle.

“W-where are you going?”  Her voice this time was surprisingly stern.  Mei’s face conveyed a sense of worry, but I’m not sure what she’s worried about.  Kibra perhaps?

“I can’t sleep so I was just going to go for a little walk… speaking of which, why are you awake?”

“Huh? I– uhm…”  Her face went red with blush as she instinctively pointed her eyes to the ground.  With a hand she brushed her long hair away from face and tried to regain that stern attitude she had just moments before.  “I was… watching the stars…”

“Oh?  O~kay then.”  How weird.  Glancing at the stars every once in a while I can understand, but who in their right mind watches stars?  It’s not like they do anything other than stay where they are, so what else is there for her to see? 

“What are you two doing up?”  Acou, who had been isolated in the circle of sleeping kids, awoke and easily walked himself to where we were; a stark contrast to my endeavor to leave the tent.

“We couldn’t sleep.  We weren’t being too loud were we?”

“Not at all… I couldn’t really sleep either, haha~”  He raised up his arms and stretched them over his head, letting out a low grunting noise as he did, “It’s been such a long day, and yet I can’t seem to relax.”

“I’m in a similar spot.  I was about to go for a walk actually, did you want to come as well?”

“A walk might do me some good.”  The two of us stepped out into the drizzle of rain and began to walk, but my feet came to a halt when I couldn’t hear Acou following behind, “Aren’t you coming with us?”  He had stopped and re-entered under the tent to ask Mei if she would join us; but as expected, she shook her head no.

“C’mon Acou, you know she’s not going to leave the tent.”

“Mmm, you’re probably right, but I’d feel rotten if I didn’t ask–"

“W-wait!”  A sharp cry came from her; one loud enough to surprise the both of us, yet still somehow reserved enough to not wake the others, “Uh– uhm…”  Her head hung awkwardly low once more.  Maybe she has a crick in her neck?  “C-can I come too?”  

“Of course you can come with us!”  Acou gave her his hand to help her stand, and wisped her out from under the canopy, “We’d be happy to have you!”

“Uh Acou, you realize we’re just going for a walk, right?”

“I know!”  He swiftly dragged her to where I was then led us both on a path out of Trash. 

“Isn’t the nighttime simply stunning?”

“I guess so.”

“Y-yes…” 

 

Us three trudged through muddy puddles and garbage as the only thing lighting our way were the stars that shone bright in the sky above.  The other two followed me closely, as I could see the way better than them.  Dark silhouettes of dying trees and trash mounds almost convinced me that I was somewhere else other than this dump, but the distinct stench of Trash, an odour I could never get used to, brought me back to my reality each time I tried to leave it.  Acou, Mei, even Kibra… they aren’t bad people, none of them: I’m the one with the problem.  

I hate that I worry about them.  I especially hate when I think about the day I’ll be leaving the West Wharf, and their reactions when they find out they won’t be seeing me again.  I had been away for years and I came back to find our friends being taken with no answers as to why, and then some kid gets struck down in the street with no one willing to help.  That thing Acou said, about how no one celebrates anything anymore, maybe that’s just a sign of the times.  

“It sure was lucky we found that lady when we did, huh?”

“Real lucky.  Most people know they can’t squeeze any value out of us.”  Acou rushed ahead to one of the gates into Trash, stopping at the side and guiding us to walk through first with his arm outstretched.  He then ran in front of me, and began leading us through the streets.

“It wasn’t that bad of a deal, Mackie; after all, I didn’t hear you coming up with any ideas to help Kibra.”

“Likewise smartass, and it was my idea to find help in the first place!”  Acou snickered to himself as we rounded the corner into another empty street.  It seems like everyone is asleep on this night in particular.  Only the creaks from the buildings and the rush of water could be heard.

“Hm?  Hey!  You guys remember that bridge, hehe~”  Acou had pointed out a scar from my past when I was once asked by a dealer if I wanted some Beat.  Being the stupid kid I was, I said yes and immediately got cold feet; when his back was turned, I dove into the murky river and under that bridge.  Now rats were in the murky waters underneath taking a drink and a midnight swim around a boat that’s been chained to the bridge’s railing above.  It’s rare to see so many together, but I guess this night is already unlike the one’s I’m accustomed to.

“That guy was so confused when you disappeared, Mackie!”  This bridge was a popular spot for bathing and drawing water; but after that ordeal, I could never bring myself to walk this street again, except for tonight.  I wouldn’t be surprised if Acou led us here on purpose for that reason alone.  “Didn’t you trample some poor family trying to wash their dishes?”

“Ugh, don’t remind me.  Besides, I did them a favor, have you seen this shit?”  We stopped on the bridge and looked over the side at the sludge flowing beneath us.  The “water”, if you could even call it that, was as black as the night.  It trickled through stones and sticks on the bank, coming to a steady flux from how thick the water had become.

“What were you so afraid of anyways?”

“I was a dumb kid afraid of my uncle!  The only reason I said yes was because the rest of you guys were watching–"

“Oh yeah!  That was the last time I saw Fareal laugh…”

“He used to laugh?”  The three of us moved on past the bridge and wrapped around the next block.

“Was your brother with us as well?  I can’t remember…”

“He wasn't, I don't think, but he hadn’t left yet if I recall.”

“Yeah, ‘cuz that was the year before your mom passed.”

“Right.”

“...”  Things grew awkward between us as silence dominated the night once again.  We took another right and began heading back to Trash when I heard a faint voice from behind.

“I-isn’t this… where we play-played Kill Him?...”

“Huh… Oh yeah! It is, isn't it?”  Kill Him was our first time having a ball to play with.  I remember it was some brown sack of rocks that we were all so impressed with.  The game started when someone had the ball, then the rest of the players would “Kill Him”.  When someone else got the ball, it was their turn.  I can’t remember how someone was supposed to win, but it’s always more fun when you weren’t the one with the ball.

“Pfft, you were always so intense when we played, Mei!  Weren’t you the hardest to get the ball from?”  She let out a giggle and raised her head a bit higher than before, then matched her pace with our own so that she would no longer trail behind.

“I-I rea~lly wanted to win, heh~”  She held her neck with her hands as she laughed; a very soft series of snickers that stopped short of each other.  

The air between us fogged from our breath entering the cold night, and Acou held his hand to his mouth and pretended to take a hit of Beat before letting his breath fill the air in a large white plume; It gave all of us a good laugh.  As we got back to Trash and to the tent, the rain had finally stopped and I found a place to lie down with the rest of the kids.

“...G-goodnight… Mackie…”

“Hm?  Ah– uh, goodnight Mei.”  She seemed pleased that she had told me goodnight, and took her spot back at the edge of the tent canopy.  Acou as well had returned to his spot, snoring unabashed into the quiet dark.  Soon, I too drifted away.

 

***

 

“K-Kibra! Kibra, can you hear me?!”  I was awoken at the break of dawn by the cries of some kid standing over Kibra.

“H-hey!  Quit shaking him like that!”

“But I saw him move!”

“You’re seeing things!  I never saw him move!”

“I-I think I saw him move as well–"

“Bullshit!”  A crowd of kids were gathered around the still Kibra and bickering amongst themselves.  Anyone still asleep was sure to be awake now.  

My body felt slow getting up, possibly from our late night excursion coupled with yesterday’s events.  Every move I made felt cumbersome as I approached the group around Kibra.

“Give him some room already.”  I split the kids up with my arms, and shooed them away.  

“B-but he moved, Mackie!  I saw it!”

“And maybe he did, but it’s not doing him any good to crowd him like that.”

“Ah… okay.”  The kids returned to their normal morning routine.  Seats were taken from the middle and spread around the canopy whilst children drank rainwater caught from last night and shared moist snacks they’d kept in their pockets.  A few of the smarter kids had rapped their treats in cloth, and gave some of their pristine snacks to only their closest friends.

“Hey Mackie, you want some?”

“No thanks, I’ll get my own.”  The food laid out for Kibra was already gone.  I find it hard to imagine Kibra after so short a time since his injury; though if none of us took it, maybe what that kid said about Kibra moving had some truth to it.

The morning was cold, even colder than last night.  Factory smoke was already beginning to pour into the morning sky, and the still-thin blanket of smog allowed me to see the sun peering just over the Wall up high.  Soon enough, that blanket will grow to be so thick that our city will look to be gray in its entirety.

“Are you already leaving?”  Acou approached from behind and had a somewhat dispirited tone.

“Yep!  I’m off to make some deliveries.”

“Aww~ but can’t I come with?”

“Haha, you know you can’t.  Don’t worry so much, it won’t be long and when I’m finished we’ll still have a lot of the day left to do whatever.”

“Hm~ okay, be careful…”  Acou retreated to the other kids and managed them as best he could.  I on the other hand moved towards the center where my belongings sat and felt around my pocket until I felt the presence of the music box.  I’d like to leave it, but should I?  Uncle Mauz told me to hang onto it, and yesterday something of mine was easily stolen out from under my nose.

“M-Mackie… are you w-worried about your-er… stuff?  I-I can watch it better this time–"

“No, it’s alright, Mei.  I’m sure my stuff is safe here with all of you.”  Without another word, I stopped fiddling with the box and left the tent with it still in my pocket.  Leaving Trash on my own felt weird after these last few days, but things were more normal once I hit the already bustling streets.

 

“ATTENTION!  ALL SLAVE PEDDLERS AND PROPRIETORS: TRADING WITH ANY KNOWN FALKRIN BUTCHER IS NOW PROHIBITED IN THE WESTERN WHARF!  THOSE FAILING TO FOLLOW THIS NEW EDICT WILL BE PENALIZED!”

Falkrin Butchers, eh?  How do people even come up with names like that?  Many of the passersby stopped to listen to the crier who stood above his gaining crowd.  Of course, when there’s any news about trade prohibition, the people of the Wharf are generally ablaze with conversations of investments and deals.  These people in particular sound furious at the news concerning these Falkrin Butchers.

“Does Crenmite really think he can get away with that?!”

“It’s beginning to be that a man can’t make an honest trade without that old splitlip sinking his fangs in for a cut!”  True enough, though people rarely find the courage to say it, a lot of the business here in the West Wharf has some ties to Crenmite and to his people, like my uncle.  Transportation, loaning, protection, brokering, and of course trafficking are all integral practices to Crenmite; and in the past, he had begun several projects to improve life in the city.  In my eyes, it doesn’t seem fair for these people to criticize his edicts or business practices.  In everything that he and Uncle Mauz do, they’re always doing it to better the lives of those around them.

 

Following the crowd I went down street after street until I came to a familiar alley.  The alley wasn’t as narrow as most were, and could almost be mistaken for another street if not for the deadend where there was a door into a warehouse.  The other doors to the buildings on either side were boarded up while the alley itself was unusually clean; no trash or litter laid at its edges.  

In front of the door was an Ovis cladded in shiny polished bronze from head-to-toe.  On his arm was strapped a shield and on the end one could spot the handle of a cinq ready to be drawn if some fool dared to threaten this mighty Ovis.  His face was hidden behind a metal plate that had only two eye holes, and above that were ferocious horns which bent forwards to face his victims.  I approached the blue door which he guarded and he gave me a loud huff as I was looked up and down until finally, he gave the door a knock.

“Hm?  Mackie is that you?  You haven’t been to see me in months…”  Behind the door was a frail Abyssian named Sigg.  Sigg was the man I met when I first came here, and over time I’ve come to know him as my uncle's busiest manager.  

Manager’s oversee deliveries and inventory, and Sigg was a manager like no other.  His bed is at the top floor of this warehouse, and food and drink is provided to him whenever he asks.  In the past, even when his sight went bad, a doctor was brought to him so that he could have spectacles made.  The man never leaves his post; none that I asked have ever seen him leave.  “Let’s see… Let’s see…”  Sigg pulled from behind the door a paper manifest listing today’s deliveries and rubbed his index finger along it looking for mine.  “I have two for you.  One for Santra on the Divide, and one for Veter at Stew and Dine.  You know where those are?”

“W-wait, there’s only two?”

“Yes, now do you know where those are?”

“Y-yes.  I can take both now–"

“Good.  Hurry along then.”  Sigg placed a satchel with a strap over my head, and put inside two wrapped orders.  He zipped the satchel, tugged on the strap, and shoved me away from the door.

“Hold on!  Why are there only two?!”

“Because only two are listed under your name, now get a move on!  You got until nightfall to deliver those!”  With that, Sigg closed his blue door and the Ovis guard resumed his position next to it.  But really, only two deliveries?

Some years ago,  Uncle Mauz had given me a purpose with this kind of work.  Back when mom was still sick, he’d come by every so often with medicine, warm food, and to check on my brother and I.  And some days I was so wrapped in her condition that I’d really lost everything else I had enjoyed doing before.  Uncle came to me one day and asked if I wanted to help him out, and from then on I would run package after package through the Wharf.  When I did he’d reward me with one of his treasures that I’d add to my own, pay me with a few copper guins, or stay with us for the night so Candor and I wouldn’t feel alone. 

I’m used to making dozens of deliveries in a day, and he knows that.  So why would he give me such an easy job this time around?  In any case, Veter’s Stew and Dine would be my first stop.  

Veter wasn’t a man to be trifled with.  He used to be a military man for a long while and saw a lot of fighting during the time before I was born.  From that he picked up a lot of recipes from his comrades, recipes he sells at his bar on the Wharf.  His business has no guards; it needs no guards.  Veter is more than enough for even ten would-be thieves.  The other package at the Divide was for someone new, though I do know where it is I should take it.

 

After I left the alley, I came to road after road just as before.  Again, the gravel of the old road grew sparse the more traffic there was in a given area, leaving beneath it a dirt path that dipped or muddied given the circumstance.  A bitter chill gripped my skin, and no warmth of the morning sun now shone through the thick gray blanket above.  Until now, I didn’t understand the worries of Mei and Acou; but after surrounding myself with friends, even just for a few days, it’s hard to re-enter the bleak Wharf without friendly faces to occupy yourself with.

Everyone around me seemed too busy, too apathetic to one another; a far cry from the curious nature of the kids which I had come to expect.  When I was a kid it didn’t use to bother me as much, yet now it all feels… suffocating, almost.  I spent a few years away from them, and from some of my best friends, and now I’ll suffer the same struggle to get away from them again.  As far away as I can be from this damned city; at least, that’s where I hope to be one day.